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Spurrier gets two-year extension on contract

By DARRYL SLATERdslater@postandcourier.com

Dec 3 2012 11:29 pm Dec 3 11:38 pm

COLUMBIA — Nine days after becoming South Carolina’s all-time winningest football coach, Steve Spurrier on Monday received a two-year contract extension from USC’s Board of Trustees. He didn’t receive a raise.

Spurrier’s deal was set to expire after the 2015 season and will now run through 2017. Last December, he also received a two-year extension and no raise. Spurrier will turn 68 in April and would be 72 in the 2017 season.

A coach in a stable situation, such as Spurrier is, typically likes to have at least four years remaining on his contract at all times, so he can assure recruits that he has a good chance of coaching them for the duration of their careers.

“It sometimes can be difficult in the recruiting process when you have less than four or five years on your contract,” said USC athletic director and former baseball coach Ray Tanner, who began talking with Spurrier about the extension in the last seven to 10 days.

In April 2011, Spurrier received a raise that bumped his guaranteed pay from $2 million in 2009 and 2010 to $2.828 million in 2011. He was set to make $2.875 million in 2012 and $2.95 million in 2013-15. But in February, his guaranteed pay for 2012-15 was increased to $3.3 million. Most of his assistant coaches also received raises in February.

Tanner said he and Spurrier did not talk money while discussing the extension that was approved Monday. Tanner said Spurrier actually made a point of telling him that he was financially comfortable, so Tanner expects Spurrier’s pay to remain at $3.3 million for 2013.

“I guess you never say never in this business, but based on my conversations with him, I think he’s very comfortable with his (financial) situation, and I think that’ll be the case,” Tanner said when asked if Spurrier will stay at his scheduled pay for 2013.

Tanner said he is “optimistic” that Spurrier will coach through the end of his contract. Barring an unforeseen disastrous situation, Spurrier almost certainly will be able to coach USC as long as he wants, since he has been so successful.

“He’s in better shape than guys that are a lot younger,” Tanner said. “He feels good.”

In the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl against No. 19 Michigan, Spurrier will try to lead No. 11 USC to its second straight and second ever 11-2 season. In 2010, the Gamecocks went 9-5 and played in the Southeastern Conference championship game for the first time.

Spurrier, now in his eighth season at USC, won his 65th game in the regular season finale at Clemson, passing Rex Enright, who needed 15 seasons to win 64 games. Spurrier’s record at USC is 65-37 and 35-29 in SEC play, including 6-2 in each of the past two seasons.

Against ranked opponents, USC is 14-22 under Spurrier, including 7-7 since the start of 2010 and 4-3 since 2011. Against opponents that finished the season ranked, USC is 11-25, 6-7 since 2010 and 5-3 since 2011, presuming the ranked teams that USC went 2-2 against this season finish ranked. They all should, since Clemson is the lowest-ranked of those four, at No. 14.

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